THE first purchase on any lottery winner’s shopping list is likely to be a lavish mansion.
But the – as yet unnamed – Euromillions winner of a record £195million might want to think twice before signing any deeds.
The win has made the lucky Brit richer than Adele, who is worth £150million, after a cash rollover.
They now join the ranks of 15 other UK residents to win over £100million in the twice-weekly draw, and are the fourth winner this year.
Some of previous lottery winners bought million-pound mansion with their taking, but not all have stood the test of time and are now being left to rot and decay.
From ‘Teletubby’ eco-homes to lotto louts’ lairs, we take a look at the mansions that turned to mould.
The doomed relationship mansion
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When postie Adrian Bayford and then-wife Gillian scooped £148.6million in Euromillions in 2012, they thought their dreams had come true.
One of the couple’s first purchases was a £6million Grade II listed mansion with stables, swimming pool and gym in Linton, Cambridgeshire.
But just 15 months after their win, Gillian dumped her husband for a car salesman.
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Adrian blamed the split on the toll of keeping up the 189-acre mansion.
He told the Daily Mail: “I’ve worked so hard on those grounds [at the mansion], I’ve not had a break, we’ve never had time together as a couple.”
He went on to woo polish sausage factory worker Marta Jarosz, got engaged to stable girl Sam Burbidge, and dated waitress Lisa Kemp.
All moved into the country pile before they dumped him.
The multimillionaire decided to sell the estate in 2018 but the property was left to rot for three years.
As the house lay vacant, Adrian had to hire security after squatters started using his leisure centre.
A pal said: “He’s thrown so much money at that house, all he wants to do now is sell it and be rid of it as it holds too many sad memories for him.”
But last year he managed to shift the property – selling the £6.5million estate at a loss due to inflation.
Eco-home plagued by druggies
Painter Matt Topham and wife Cassey – who worked in Iceland – raked in £45,160,170 in 2012 on EuroMillions.
The pair were both aged just 23 when they landed the winning ticket and quickly bought a £1.2million home in Adams Hill, Nottingham.
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The couple planned to demolish the site and build a Teletubby-inspired grassy eco-home worth £5million in 2012.
But as the property lay empty for five years, it soon became a hot spot for drug users.
Police were called 12 times as druggies ran riot on the derelict property where open sewers attracted rats.
One neighbour told The Sun: “The Tophams have shed loads of money and should be spending some to end this farce — or at least on security.
“The house became known as the “scariest place in Nottingham to have your photo taken” on a Snapchat group — which only attracted more youths.”
Last year Matt was handed a suspended sentence for careless driving after causing a fatal crash in 2019.
Bankrupt ‘King of the chavs’
Michael Carroll famously frittered his £9.7million jackpot away on drugs and orgies with sex workers.
He was just a 19-year-old binman when he won the lottery in 2002 and soon began to enjoy his riches – styling himself as “King of the Chavs”.
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His wild parties soon earned him ASBOs and wife Sandra left him for cavorting with prostitutes.
He bought a party pad in Swaffham, Norfolk, for £340,000 and spent a further £400,000 adding a swimming pool and jacuzzi.
A friend told the Daily Mail: “He was living like a wild animal. There was evidence of drink and drugs in every room.
“He used to hold wild drugs and sex parties and the house got ruined.
“There was no heating, so people set fire to doors to keep warm.”
He sold the house in 2010 to a travel agent for just £142,000.
Michael said: “I’m glad the house has been sold – it holds bad memories.”
He moved to Moray, Scotland for a fresh start and now works seven days a week shifting coal.
Building ‘repossessed’ after constant fires
Northern Irish winner Margaret Loughrey landed a £26,863,588.20 EuroMillions haul in November 2014.
But she would go on to say the money “destroyed” her life and sent her to “hell and back”.
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Dubbed “Maggie Millions”, she soon bought Herman Mill in Strabane, Co. Tyrone – which had lain empty since 2004 – with a plan to turn it into a hotel.
Tragically she was sectioned due to mental health problems shortly after and got into a dispute over the premises with a local cricket club.
The derelict property was then further damaged by a spate of fires and vandalism.
In 2016, a court ordered her to hand over part of the building due to dereliction.
A soft drinks company is then thought to have bought the ramshackle property.
She said: “I regret winning the lottery, of course I do. I was a happy person before. I am a human being and all it has done is destroy my life.”
Last year Margaret was found dead at her Strabane bungalow – after not getting medical help for a serious illness, according to her brother.
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